Thoughts on the movie 'Whiplash'

Saturday afternoon we went to see the movie 'Whiplash' at the Bowtie-Chelsea Theaters.  It is the first time we've been to the Bowtie-Chelsea since they started a 'reserved seat' ticketing program.   Although we had been skeptical about how such a program might work in a multiplex, the automatic ticketing machine exhibited a seating plan showing the available seats in Theater 4 and allowed us to chose two reserved seats that we liked.  The Bowtie staff member who had cleaned the theater after the previous show was available to assist audience members in finding their seats.  There didn't seem to be any confusion or any complaints.  Of course, the ticket price has gone up by a $1.00 since the completion of the renovation and the implementation of the reserved seat policy. 

Banner for 'Whiplash'

'Whiplash' is written and directed by Damien Chazelle.  It revolves around the twisted relationship of Andrew Neimann, a young jazz drummer (played by Miles Teller), and Terrence Fletcher, his mentor and professor at Shaffer Conservatory (played by J. K. Simmons).  Shaffer Conservatory is supposed to be the finest music school in New York City (a fictional stand-in for The Julliard School or the Manhattan School of Music).  Fletcher conducts Shaffer's jazz band which plays at competitions and concerts and can act as a conduit to professional jazz groups like Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Fletcher torments his students -- turning one against another, belittling them in front of the band, picking apart tempos and pitches -- to 'make them better' musicians.  Andrew (whose idol is Buddy Rich) initially responds to Fletcher's sadism with fiendishly intense practice sessions that go on so long that his fingers and hands blister and bleed.  Nothing satisfies Fletcher for long though.  He sets up a three-way competition between Andrew and two other student drummers for the spot of 'core' drummer in the band, but then sabotages their self-esteem and betrays their confidences.

There is no question that J. K. Simmons plays this sadist with exceptional skill -- he has won the Golden Globe and SAG awards for best supporting actor.  Simmons seems to relish every opportunity to make Fletcher ever more unlikeable and manipulative.

I was impressed by Miles Teller's performance as Andrew -- trying to read and react to his mentor's goading and taunting.  There are also nice performances by Paul Reiser as Andrew's father and Melissa Benoist as Andrew's girlfriend.  

This is really a boxing story set in a jazz milieu.  It ends (as it must) with Miles triumphant at Carnegie Hall -- besting Fletcher after he has committed one more act of harassment.

The drum work throughout, but especially on the final piece -- 'Caravan' -- gave me a much better appreciation for jazz drumming which I've always equated more with noise than music.  This is a movie to admire, but hardly one you can love.